Amateur sleuth Dorothy Martin sets aside Christmas preparations in order to look into the disappearance of her best friend's beau in Agatha-winner Dams's captivating ninth mystery to feature the expatriate American living in the medieval English town of Sherebury (after 2003's Sins Out of School
). When the body of Bill Fanshawe, curator of the local museum, turns up in the museum's basement, Dorothy determines to find out who killed Bill and why, not only for the sake of her friend, Jane Langland, but for herself. With only a few puzzling clues to guide her, including a map of Indiana, she must sort out the conflicting information she gathers from the quirky and elderly characters who knew Bill during WWII. A revelation that even Dorothy could not have anticipated concludes a cozy as comforting as a hot cup of tea and as deliciously spicy as one of Dorothy's mince pies. Agent, Kimberley Cameron at Reece Halsey North. (Dec. 1)
